The Durango Telegraph, Aug. 25, 2022

Thistle be great! THE ORIGINAL INDIE WEEKLY LINE ON DURANGO & BEYOND sidein elegraph Ready to rumble Roller Girls to host first bout since pandemic interruption ‘Doo’-ing the right thing More and more, folks are being asked to pack it out Crunch time Home prices are cooling, but not so much in mountain towns

2 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph Voted Durango’s Best (and only) Weekly* “Giving locals something to do on sinceThursdays2002” *According to a very unscientific and impromptu office poll

Also of note, the expanded snowmaking coverage includes Lower Paradise to the midway loading of Needles (Lift 6), opening more high-elevation, early-season terrain if temperatures do not allow for top-to-bottom skiing.

The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and distributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area. We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue. Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

EDITORIALISTA: Missy missy@durangotelegraph.comVotel ADVERTISING SALES: ads@durangotelegraph.com STAFF REPORTER: Jonathan jonathan@durangotelegraph.comRomeo STAR STUDDED CAST: Jonathan Thompson, Morgan Sjogren, Ari LeVaux, Lainie Maxson, Rob Brezsny and Clint Reid MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332, Durango, CO 81302 VIRTUAL ADDRESS: www.durangotelegraph.com REAL WORLD ADDRESS: 679 E. 2nd Ave., Ste E2 Durango, CO 81301 PHONE: 970-259-0133 E-MAIL: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com MAIL DELIVERY AND SUBSCRIPTIONS: $3.50/issue, $150/yearboilerplate 4 La Vida Local 4 Thumbin’ It 5 Word on the Street 6 Soap Box 7 Land Desk 8 Top Story 10 State News 11 Flash in the Pan 12-13 Stuff to Do 13 Ask Rachel 14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds 15 Haiku Movie Review RegularOccurrences telegraph Aug. 25, 2022 n polethe310 Talking sh** Increasingly, folks are being asked to pack it out when nature calls by Stina Steig / Colorado Public Radio lineup 4 Ephemeral joys The fleeting wonder that is water in the Western desert by Morgan Sjogren 8 On track Roller Girls return after pandemic hiatus with renewed energy by Jonathan Romeo 7 Crunch time While housing woes ease elsewhere, they persist in mountain towns by Jonathan Thompson / Land Desk On the Cover A winged insect that looks a lot like a monarch butterfly, but don’t quote us on it, alights on a thistle./ Photo by Missy Votel

And, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention parking. Purgatory said it has increased parking capacity, with 50 new spaces in the Lower Columbine lot and, pending permit approval, another 125-150 spaces in the Gelande lot. To encourage carpooling, the Main Village parking lot will be free on weekends and holidays for vehicles carrying four or more people.

Ear to the ground: “My low point was eating an entire Domino’s pizza and drinking a 12-pack of Keystone Light in college. At least it was ‘light.’”

Matthew Rosencrans, with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said the La Niña pattern was responsible for the strong monsoon season this summer. However, when the monsoons shut off in September, so, too, does the precipitation.

Purgatory’s Graven said with the snowmaking improvements made this past year, resort officials are hopeful the schedule will go as planned. The resort recently completed an expansive $1.25 million upgrade to its snowmaking system, making it more reliable and efficient, consuming less energy and utilizing every snowmaking temperature window.

– Notes from rock bottom Season opener

“In a perfect world, mid-October is when we reach the prime temperature to start making snow,” Theresa Blake Graven, spokeswoman for Purgatory, said. “If that all works out, we should be ready to open by Nov. 19. But again, that’s TBD, depending on Mother Nature.”  Indeed, Mother Nature may have something to say as Southwest Colorado is expected to enter its third La Niña winter in a row, which typically brings drier, hotter-than-normal conditions.

With temperatures dipping below 90 degrees, you know what that means: it’s time to start dreaming about ski season. And Purgatory Resort has added fuel to the fire by announcing its opening day: Nov. 19.

Forecasting models show September to November drier, as well as warmer, than normal. Not a great combo for making snow, but also not that out of the ordinary (October/November are usually dry months).

The resort also rebuilt nine water pumps; replaced five outdated air compressors; and added a new, computerized snowmaking control room.

“We expect these improvements to increase snow production by 25% or more,” Josh Hamill, slope maintenance manager, said. “This not only improves the early-season experience but also shortens the time it takes to cover our snowmaking trails with high-quality snow, allowing us to open terrain faster.”

Reports that ridership is up significantly in Durango amid Colorado’s “Zero Fare for Better Air” initiative, which offers free public transit service around the state to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

ster rappers” came up with it all, I find it very difficult to take this whole thing cerealously.

opinion LaVidaLocal 4 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph

Scientists finding a new cheap and effective way to destroy forever chemicals by mixing them with two inexpensive compounds at a low boil. Hm, that was easy.

President Biden canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for people who earn $125,000 or less a year, as well as extending a pause on payments for all debts until Dec. 31.

A-listers Kim Kardashian, Kevin Hart and Sylvester Stallone among the list of rich and famous L.A. residents who received notices for excessive water use amid a drought emergency.

Thumbin’It SignoftheDownfall:

Food prices rose more in the past year than at any time since 1979. Incredibly, limes cost more than cocaine, according to one commenter on Reddit.

Cocoa Puff Puff Pass Snoop Dogg just released a new breakfast food line that includes grits, oatmeal,

son.BiblewebsiteviapanyMasterwhichtheforealmallowLoopz,”mix/syrup,pancakeand“Snoopwhichisamarsh-andsugar-ringce-that’s“berrydeliciousshizzel,”accordingtorapper.BroadusFoods,isalsoownedbyP,isthefoodcom-marketingthecerealsnooploopz.com.Theisalsofilledwithverses,forsomerea-Giventhattwo“gang-

Water worship Clear water pooled up on the creamy, orange bedrock where a school of several dozen succulent tadpoles, already sprouting legs, were swimming around. There was no time to ask how they got there, only where they were going. Coin-sized raindrops steadily filled the natural bowl to capacity. One brave, wiggling soul had the foresight to explore to the water’s edge. Unable to crest the lip of sandstone, he turned away until the next surge of water helped propel him on Mr. Soon-to-be-Toad’s wild ride. His tail writhed and wriggled, pushing him over the edge and down the watery slipand-slide. The tadpole flew down the stream, hit an amphibian Class V whitewater wave, took air and flopped over the abyss into the canyon below. When my eyes retreated to the puddle, the tadpole’s brethren were following him down the ephemeral waterfall on the ride of their lives. For years, I have devoted myself to exploring the Colorado Plateau at its driest. Each season seems drier and hotter than the last, because it is. It’s even drier than the catastrophic drought around 1200 A.D. that is believed to have pushed the Ancestral Puebloans to migrate away from the same canyons of which I am a foolhardy devotee. Some of these places are so parched that it is not physically possible for me to reach them despite my maniacal attempt to haul almost a third of my body weight’s worth in water stuffed inside a heavy backpack. Climate change is taking exploration beyond the frontier aesthetic, beyond places where no humans have been before, to the places that soon may not be hospitable for them to reach at all.This summer, the water returned. Healthy monsoons were predicted, but because of the persistent aridification, I did not trust the weight of words until I was standing at the edge of this pool. Sight was not enough to wake me from the dehydrated nightmare of the past few years. I placed my fingers in the flowing stream of water, hot to the touch upon contact with the sun-scorched sandstone. Variation in droplet size and cadence orchestrated a symphony echoing off canyon walls. The ethereal alchemy of liquid permeating the desert’s surface unlocked the petrichor of wet sand, sage and ponderosa. Even the black cryptobiotic soils and lime green lichen suddenly smelled alive. Lightning seared the edges of the mass rehydration event as thunder beckoned desert creatures big and small to feast on the arrival of watery delights. To understand the desert’s relationship to water, one must build faith through times of drought and drop to your knees in worship when it’s wet. Rain does not bring the desert back from the dead – it’s an adrenaline rush taking everything in its path from survival-mode dormancy to full-throttle thriving. One can never anticipate such an experience. Like finding new romance, it’s best to put it out of your mind, to forget about it most of the time. But when it does arrive, you better be ready to peel off your excess layers, hop in, make a splash, drink it up and ride the pulse. Rain in the desert, like love, is best when embraced freely. It cannot be held, only left to flow. It will vanish in a blink, leaving sandy traces of its swift kiss. The rain ceased as suddenly as it came. I returned to the canyon every few days. Evidence of what I witnessed seeped several inches into the sand and debris lined water marks. The now-dry slickrock still held muddy pools of water ready to overflow if the sky spit a drop in them. A week later, all signs had vanished. The desert looked as if water never fell here at all. Yet my eyes could not unsee the glistening basalt stones, electrified moss, crystalline pools and tadpoles sprouting meaty legs. The creases, billows and narrows of this slice of earth before me was sculpted by millions of years of sporadic rain. So, too, is my relationship to water being shaped by the ebb and flow of flood and drought in the desert, saturating my roots and sharpening my senses. Two weeks after the last storm, I walked across the dry, sandy, hot desert alone. At the edge of a larger perennial spring-fed pool, I stripped off my clothes, sending ripples across its glassy surface. Kicking my legs like the toads, a sweet, earthy perfume overwhelmed my olfactory system. For minutes, I swam the edges of the seeping sandstone, sniffing reeds, flowers and willows, trying to find the scent that I had never encountered before. When my nose touched the petals of sweet white clover, I gave them my full and delicate attention. A note from my lover, the rain, lingering in the air, promising his return.

Climbers on Mount Kilimanjaro can now share selfies in real-time thanks to WIFI now covering Africa’s tallest mountain. Whatever happened to limiting selfies to three-hour brunches and while running naked onto a football field?

– Morgan Sjogren

Q

Cailee

“In 7th grade I received detention for kissing my boyfriend instead of going to class.”

It’s back to school week, so The Telegraph asked: “What landed you in detention all those years ago?” “I was once late 38 times in one school year, so yeah, I got a lot of detention.”

Scott “I got caught dipping tobacco in class.” Anna “I called my 5th grade teacher ‘Big Mama,’ but I was quoting ‘The Fox and the Hound!’” Alex “I have thememorizing,troublesoin6thgrade,Iwroteentirescientificmethodonmyhandandwascaught.”

Annaliese

telegraph Aug. 25, 2022 n 5 WordontheStreet

– Kirby MacLaurin, Durango by Rob Pudim

Revolution unfolding

Scan the QR Code & Skip A Higher Form of Sho That pping.Line! ALONLRECREA e GREAATT STRAIN SELECTIO PIPES • SMOKING ACCESSOR Grandvieww (Durango) ATTION LYY 9am - 8pm 37 County Road 232 (970) 426-4381 AAREL • MJ LITERP AON • HASH & CONCENTRRAATTE • E IES • APPA RAATTURE & Bodo Park (Durango MED 9am - 6:45pm / REC 9am - 9pm 72 Suttle Street Units F & G (970) 259-3674 AL DIBLES • SEED • CLONES CONSULTTING • ATTM ON SITE Cortez) MED & REC 9am - 9pm 1013 E. Main St. Cortez, CO 81321 (970) 565-6500 The Alternative Resource Need a place to host your next Yacht Rock party? Tina can help you find a house with a yard. (*Captains hats not included.)

6 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph SoapBox D-Tooned/

But I think the core driver of change was former President Trump, who made Americans think deeply about what they stand for, and who demonstrated that our culture is vulnerable to division, hate and extremist cult activity. I witness that citizens are indeed “getting woke” as they realize that only their personal participation and determination can protect what is good about America.

Witness the amazing changes in our politics in the past four years. Truly awesome! Young folks are voting in everincreasing numbers and powering campaigns and initiatives, making change happen. Their politics are not corrupted by the hope to win more loot than others. Their ethics are fresh – loyal to the diversity of friends they identify with. Older folks are stepping out of their usual ruts and roles to show up too, in droves. Witness the huge marches to support BLM, Muslim rights and reproductive rights, thronged by “allies” loyal to their friends. We’re actively learning and not accepting less for our BIPOC, LGTBQIA and other minority members. Volunteering for campaigns is way up – folks are taking personal ownership of this national healing. I love it. Organized crime (big business) corrupts our government, true – but only when folks leave their government on autopilot. In the end, unity, ethical determination and personal involvement are the real power. It turns out that “we are the ones we have been waiting for.” This is the time of an epochal political and spiritual paradigm shift, when our people come together, organize, make core decisions and take control of our future. I am incredibly grateful and inspired to witness this revolution as it unfolds.

There’s plenty of reason to feel overwhelmed these days and to want to “back out of the room,” politically speaking. I have certainly heard those sentiments over the past few years, speaking with hundreds of folks local to Durango. But I notice an interesting opinion shift as we process what has been going on politically. There is a new sense of confidence, even enthusiasm, as our legal system takes on even the most powerful actors, even those protected by threats from a violent mob. We are still dealing with the aftermath of an imperfect storm during the last administration, granted. An economy that is allowed to collapse during a pandemic needs strong medicine to recover. We got the right medicine in the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act passed by only Democrats last year. That legislation created some 10 million new jobs and increased wages more substantially than in decades. But an economy jolting from zero to 60 in a year will have problems like inflation. Unfortunately, the Federal Reserve – not under Biden’s control –did not respond with raised interest rates early enough to rein in the surging economy. We’re also still dealing with pipeline problems, price gouging by our profit-driven corporations and Trump-buddy’s well-timed war of aggression on SoUkraine.folksare reeling from all that has happened, understandably, and trying to process where we’ll stand when the dust settles. Are we really a nation of laws that apply to everyone, and of norms that can control reckless grasping? A nation where we all get to vote and have leaders we have chosen? Or are we heading for a mafia-style autocracy, a class-system that smiles on bigotry, where lies rule if enough talking heads repeat them? Many fear what will happen if too many people of conscience step back from their vital civic role in our political process, because it has been tainted by bad actors. What I hear on the street is very encouraging. There is a basic shift in opinion and perception this summer as folks recognize the context of our current situation. Bernie’s runs in 2016 and 2020 were a huge catalyst, shifting candidate talking points across the country toward justice in economic, legal and health care systems. His impact shows up in the 400 bills passed by Congress – truly groundbreaking bills by any historical measure, addressing climate change and family needs like childcare, and education; protecting the sanctity of our voting systems; and ensuring the rights of minorities and vulnerable populations. We made that happen. Voters now expect more from this country, and their demands are showing up in election results with establishment incumbents losing to new determined grassroots champions who refuse the corporate payroll.

Or, the communities and their leaders can do nothing, hoping the problem will just go away or that the market will find some sort of equilibrium. And it might. But I suspect, instead, that most of the workers will stick around despite everything, because they have no choice. They’ll cram four or five into an apartment, or try to find a place to hide their tent where they won’t get rousted by the authorities. And then, when the stress of living like that, combined with working one or two jobs, gets to be too much, they’ll drop out or be pushed out and then, unhoused, they will no longer have the means to find another job. Maybe another worker will come along, looking for the “second paycheck” of natural beauty and clean air, and step in and keep the cogs of the amenity economy running. Or maybe not.

LandDesk by Jonathan Thompson Earlier this summer, while strolling into Albertson’s in Durango to buy a couple pints of Ben & Jerry’s, I noticed a “Help Wanted” sign on the door: They were looking for staffers and would pay $16 per hour to start. “Woah!” I said to my friends. “Sixteen bucks. Not bad. It’s about time employers are paying a living wage.” My friends, who live in Durango and are more familiar with the cost of things, looked at me like I was insane.  I’m not. Insane, I mean. Just wrong. It turns out that is not a living wage in Durango or, really, just about anywhere. Not only do housing costs continue to shoot up, but add in inflation, and you get a pretty damned unsustainable situation. Sure, you may have heard that the housing market in some places is slowing, thanks to rising interest rates, an unsteady stock market and crashing cryptocurrency values. Sales for the first half of this year were down from 2021 nearly 50% in the Jackson Hole area and even more in Aspen and Snowmass. Prices have even cooled in some places, which is kind of like saying Phoenix’s high temperature cooled from 120 degrees to 115. Your brain will still melt, just a bit more slowly.

Un-affordability crisis

Except, where would the workers go? The “drive-to-qualify” dynamic of a decade ago, which had people commuting hours each way to affordability, is dead. Even remote workers who make less than $100,000 per year are having a hard time finding a refuge –even in sites. Silverton? ForgetSuperfund about it. Leadville? Nope. OK, maybe Naturita but probably not for long.  Making it easier and cheaper for developers to build more housing might increase the housing stock enough to match demand, thereby driving down prices. But that would only work where the market behaves rationally. And in the Durangos, Tellurides, Moabs and Leadvilles of the world, the market is far from rational. It’s a whacked-out freak show. Build more free market housing, and you’ll just end up with a larger inventory of overpriced, unaffordable homes; if there aren’t enough residents to buy them, then investors will snatch them up for short-term rentals, second homes or overpriced rentals.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, author of “River of Lost Souls,” “Behind the Slickrock Curtain,” and “Sagebrush Empire.” To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org

I imagine this can go one of two ways. The federal, state and local governments can come together and come up with real, lasting solutions. Start by forking out cash to build workforce housing and fund sweat-equity and other affordable housing programs. Levy a progressive real estate transfer tax on all property sales over the level of affordability for the median income of the area. Restrict and tax short-term rentals and second homes, and incentivize people to rent property to local workers at affordable rates. Establish managed camps for the unhoused population and set up affordable workforce campgrounds for those who prefer to live out of their van, car, RV or tent.

One might think the market, left to its own devices, would work it out in a rational way. Perhaps businesses would pay more to get and retain workers, and charge $35 for a cheeseburger; or developers would build cheaper workforce housing if they were only allowed to do so. Alternatively, the workforce would just leave, and the businesses and amenities that rely on them would go away, eventually taking the gentrifiers – and inflated housing prices – with them.

telegraph Aug. 25, 2022 n 7

A “cooling market” in 2022 looks like Bend, Ore., where the median home sale price dropped from $700,000 in March to $684,000 now. Or Aspen, where a 500-square-foot condo sold for a measly $750,000 – a full $25,000 less than the asking price. Whoopee. Or La Plata County, where the median home price for the entire 1,700 square miles is $625,000, nearly $100,000 more than a year ago. So, yeah, the housing un-affordability crisis is still on, big time. It seemingly has spread to every corner of the West, even to one-time bastions of affordability. And it’s not just sale prices: Rents are now exorbitant, too. The crisis is most pronounced in public-lands gateway communities like Durango, Moab, Salida, Bend and Flagstaff. But even urban areas like Aurora are infected: the average rent there is nearly $2,000 per month, which I guess is a bargain compared to Denver’s average of $2,500 per month. I have to admit that the whole thing leaves me baffled. Sure, the remote-work, Zoom Boom thing freed up folks to sell out of the Bay Area or other high-priced urban areas and buy into Truckee or Boise or Durango. I get that, though I do find it hard to believe that remote workers are buying $13 million homes in Aspen and Jackson. But isn’t there a point at which the Truckees/Bends/Durangos become too expensive for Zoom Boomers, even those with some equity from elsewhere?

Let’s go back to the $16-per-hour grocery store job. If the employee is single and works 40 hours per week all year long, they’ll take home around $2,200 per month after taxes. Let’s say $100 of that goes to pay a bit of student loan debt. There’s no way they can buy a house or apartment in or near Durango, even if they go in on it with a fellow checker. So, they’ll have to rent. According to the Zillow rental affordability calculator, they could afford to pay about $900 per month on rent. I searched various rental sites, and it looks like the bottom of the market in Durango is $1,000, and there’s just one of those. OK, so they stretch it – beats living in the car. That leaves about $1,100 to pay for utilities, phone bill, fuel, insurance, maintenance and, of course, food. And sure, they could probably find a place in Cortez or Farmington for $800 per month, but then they’d be spending $200 or more per month on gas just for the commute.

And here’s the thing: Most service industry jobs don’t pay $16 per hour.

Despite cooling markets, housing crunch drags on

The housing crisis continues to plague desirable mountain towns, like Durango, despite the market leveling off in other areas./ Courtesy photo

And isn’t there a point at which even those who can afford these prices will finally come to their senses and say they just don’t want to pay them? A point at which folks decide it’s not worth it to fork out two-thirds of their income just for the privilege of being a resident of one of Outside magazine’s 10 coolest towns? When will they say, “Hey, wait a minute, I don’t have time to hike the great trails, because I’m working all the time to pay the mortgage, and my favorite restaurant isn’t open when I want to go, because their would-be employees can’t afford to live here?” When, in other words, will it all come crashing down?

Durango Roller Girls gets ready for first match since pandemic

Evolution of a sport Roller derby dates back to the 1930s, though the events then looked far different than they do today. Back then, 25 two-person teams would skate around an oval track, putting in 11-hour days for events that could last more than a month. Sounds exciting.Asthe sport evolved, it became clear that crowds were most entertained by the collisions and fights. Skaters were then encouraged to elbow one another, dramatically fall and get into scuffles. By the 1940s, roller derbies were televised and drew thousands of people to events. Over the ensuing decades, traditional roller derby waned in popularity. In the 1980s/’90s, several versions appeared on TV to revive the sport, including “RollerGames,” which sort of looked like WWE on roller skates (if the game went to sudden death, you could throw your opponent in a live alligator pit). Not surprisingly, these attempts didn’t work at gaining an audience.

Each team has five skaters on the rink at a time: one “jammer” and four “blockers.” When the whistle blows, both jammers fight to break out from the pack. The first jammer to do so is called the “lead jammer.” Both team’s jammers are tasked with racing around the rink, scoring a point every time they lap an opponent’s blocker. The blockers, meanwhile, are working to keep that from happening by forming a wall, slowing the other team down or pushing players out of bounds, to name a few tactics. Despite the glory days of the 1980s with alligator pits and body slams, the rules today do not allow hitting, punching, elbowing, clotheslining, slamming players to the ground – you get the point.

TopStory by Jonathan Romeo M

ark your calendars – for the first time since before the pandemic, roller derby is coming back to Durango.OnSept. 10, the Durango Roller Girls will host its first bout since 2019 against the Ark Valley High Rollers at Chapman Hill. (Doors open at 5 p.m. with a “fresh meat” bout at 6 p.m. and the main event at 7 p.m.)“Everyone is ready to get back out there and start skating again,” Celeste HansonWeller, league president, said. The Durango Roller Girls was founded in July 2009 after a group of women started posting flyers around town in an attempt to form a roller derby team. As local lore goes, the team had no idea what it was doing –skating in the opposite direction and not wearing any pads. But, they reached out to other teams and people in the know and ultimately learned the rules.

“Slowly, it all came together,” said Hanson-Weller, whose derby name is “D’Cell Punk.”By2019, the Durango Roller Girls had about 12 skaters and regularly held bouts in Durango as well as traveled the region to face teams on the Front Range and around the West. The team took a holiday break in winter 2019/20 and was just getting back to practices when… well, you know. The Roller Girls kept in touch with each other during the pandemic but were unable to practice or hold bouts. Practices picked up a little bit in the summer of 2021, but now, the team is finally at the point where it’s ready to hold its first real match. “It was really, really tough to have it stop,” Hanson-Weller said. “But it’s been great getting back and seeing our numbers grow. We’re working together to be the best team we can be.”

The Durango Roller Girls were formed in 2009. After a brief hiatus during the pandemic, the roller derby team is set to host its first bout since 2019 on Sept. 10 at Chapman Hill./ Courtesy photo

Ready to rumble

telegraph8 n Aug. 25, 2022

In the early 2000s, however, modern women’s roller derby started in Austin, Texas, combining the traditional structure with a few minor tweaks and an emphasis on all-women teams (earlier versions included all-men’s teams, too). And it took off – today, there are more than 400 roller derby leagues worldwide, according to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Jammers & blockers

Bouts are 60 minutes total, divided into

So how’s the modern version of roller derby played? Well, for us simple spectators, here’s what you need to know.

“I just knew it was for me,” said HansonWeller, who plays both jammer and blocker. “It’s been a great decision. I just love it.”

“We’ve become a family, and, in a sense, we go to battle on the tracks sometimes,” Beaver said. “We all have each other’s backs and have built lifelong friendships outside of roller derby.”

Back on a roll Coming out of the pandemic, roller derby teams everywhere have been forced to rebuild. But it’s not all bad – with so many people moving over the past few years, Durango actually saw an uptick of new skaters who relocated here from cities. But, it’s a matter of getting new and old team members back up to speed.

“Gaining the muscles for skating is really difficult,” Teran said. “The first practice I went to I fell square on my butt, and it hurt so bad. But they’re so supportive, it was impossible to say no. And, eventually, you learn how to fall safely and trust your protective gear.”

The Durango Roller Girls has seen an influx of new skaters since the team started rebuilding post-pandemic./

Photo by Jonathan Romeo

Aug. 25, 2022 n 9 Hours: mon - Fri 11-6 & Sat 11-5:970-764-4577www.jimmysmusic.supply 1) Eat 2) Sleep 3) Play Music 4) Shop Jimmy’s … repeat

“I was actually pretty proud of it,” she said.

And, one designated “pivot blocker” can become a jammer by taking the jammer’s star on her helmet while in play. Or, if this still doesn’t make any sense, there’s one rule that will get you through the game: the team at the end with the most points, wins. Healthy outlet For many women, roller derby has provided a sense of community as well as one hell of a Hanson-Wellerworkout. said she started roller derby about eight years ago after a friend suggested she try out. A self-proclaimed workaholic, Hanson-Weller said she was looking for an outlet and wanted to meet new people. A bit apprehensive at first about getting injured, once she was on the rink, she was sold.

The Durango Roller Girls are entirely run by team members. And if this particular niche in life appeals to you, anyone over 18 is encouraged to come to a practice and try out – you don’t need to know how to skate and, gear is Hanson-Wellerprovided.said this September’s bout at Chapman will be the only one in Durango for 2022, but she expects the team to get back to a normal schedule in summer 2023 (which means three to four home games). Once afraid of falling or getting hit, Hanson-Weller recently got her first roller derby bruise since the pandemic.

telegraph two halves. Each 30-minute half is broken down into two minute “jams.” It should be noted, the lead jammer has the ability to end the jam at any point for strategic reasons.

Kelsey Beaver, who goes by Eager Beaver, started roller derby around 2015. Having been homeschooled and not allowed to play sports, she was intrigued when she saw a banner outside Chapman advertising a Roller Girls bout. She showed up at the next practice, not even knowing how to skate. Yet, she, too, immediately knew this was the sport for her. “I had a lot of aggression to take out, and this seemed like a healthy way to do it,” she said. “I grew up extremely sheltered with not a lot of friends, and needed something healthy to keep me on a good track. Roller derby changed my whole life, and it’s motivated me to live a healthier lifestyle.”TheDurango Roller Girls come from all walks of life –nurses, EMTs, attorneys, even a clock repairer. But one common theme is having a competitive nature and wanting to accomplish a goal with a team.

Kendel Teran, whose derby name is Cox Blocker (and obviously plays blocker), said she didn’t even know how to skate when she joined the team around 2019. Now, she’s teaching the newbies.

And the “right thing” is changing. For generations, outdoor lovers were taught to dig a hole away from water, cover it up, and they were all good.

to win one of our $40 gift cards.

Back near Minturn, campers in Homestake seemed fairly open to this new poop reality.  Forest Service staff were going from campsite to campsite explaining the rule and handing out bags. A group of men from Denver quickly became a chorus of “yeses” and nods, as their dog, Jane, barked along.

“As we have more and more people, it becomes more and more important for people to limit their personal impact,” he explained.

10 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph StateNews by Stina Sieg Colorado Public Radio No doubt you’ve heard the saying: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” In beautiful outdoor spots across the West, however, people have been leaving something far more disturbing: human waste, piles of Paulait. Peterson calls them “white lilies.”  “Fecal matter with toilet paper on top,” she said matterof-factly, standing over a few of these lilies on public land outside of Peterson,Minturn. arecreation staff officer with the Eagle HolyCross Ranger District, was on a wooded hill, just a short walk from tents and parked RVs. A faint path had been worn into the soil leading to the de facto restroom.

■

Will Keslar, starting off on a bike ride, explained that in the 45 years he’s lived in Snowmass, he never felt the need to carry out his waste. Instead, he thinks people should just learn to bury it better. He joked that maybe some snappy ad campaign would help.

One guy said, flat out: “No one is going to do that.”

In recent years, however, we’re learning sometimes that isn’t good enough.

News 970-259-5811 • 26345 HWY 160/550 1 mile SE of Durango Mall • www.dietzmarket.com

The group ended up taking several bags – plus a bandana for Jane. I asked the ranger district’s Paula Peterson if that gave her hope. “Of course, I mean there’s seven people there?” she said, smiling. “We’ve spread that word, and they’re going to tell their friends, and they’re going to tell their friends.”

“People were not hiking next to me. Let’s put it that way,” he said, busting out in a laugh. But he added that waste-bag technology has likely gotten better since then. And besides, he said he sees packing out your own waste when required as part of a social contract.  It’shard to know how much this new poop gospel has reached the general public, however. On the busy Snowmass Lake Trail, outside of Aspen, removing your own waste is recommended but not required. The trailhead has a box of free bags, but over the course of two hours, I don’t see anyone take one.

Jeff Marion, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at Virginia Tech, has watched the trend of more and more land managers requiring complete poop removal in recent years. This is often mandated in areas too rocky, arid or overused to allow for burying.

Hurry Auug. 25% register

in! Sale ennds

‘Doo-ing’ the right thing

“That would make me uncomfortable to have my kids or my dogs or just someone out hiking end up walking upon this,” said Peterson, a 33-year veteran of the U.S. Forest SheService. added that there’s no other word for the sight than “nasty.” Same goes for the piles left right by the reservoir and the so-called “forest toilet” her agency discovered last year. Basically, it was a toilet seat placed over a big, wooden box and it’s still filled with fetid plastic bags chock-full of human waste. Rangers hope to figure out a way to dispose of it soon. So before things get any worse, the ranger district is trying something new. In one popular spot known as Homestake, users are now required to take human waste out with them. Staff are handing out free supplies that help make that task a little less, you know, gross.  Forestry Technician Claire Perez is young and soft spoken, and looks absolutely comfortable speaking on the topic. She unfurled one of the many human-waste disposal bags staff carry with them, sometimes known as “wag bags.” They’re filled with powder “that dissolves the waste and makes it not smell,” she said.  That powder also makes it safe to throw these small bags in a garbage can, plus the bags have a plastic skirt to wrap around the user for privacy. So far, Perez has found campers to be pretty receptive.

Stephanie Ryan, ending a trail run, thinks the bags are a “great idea” but admitted she only manages to use them about a quarter of the time. “Especially when you go up the trail and you see horse poop the entire way,” she said.

“Most people want to do the right thing,” she said. “We just have to help them do that.”

The surrounding swath of public land is wildly popular with dispersed campers, people hungry for the cozy quiet, excited to be surrounded by mountains and pine trees and creeks. In recent years, it has gotten a lot busier – and its human-waste situation has gotten out of hand.  Peterson estimates her staff found 300 piles of excrement in the area last year alone.

“Something like Smokey the Bear with a shovel,” he said, laughing.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org.

As she sprinted back to her car, she yelled back: “Sorry we don’t do better! We will do better!”

Mae Watson, of the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District, digs a pit to dispose of human waste near Homestake Road dispersed camping area on July 22. She’s among a group of staffers assigned to visiting sites and telling campers they are now required to pack out their human waste./ Hart Van Denburg/CPR

31

off all garden pots, wind spinners, cairn garden art and metal animals! Plus

“It’s a little different,” he said, “but I understand why it needs to happen.”

This is true for some of the places Marion himself has adventured, including the slot canyons of Utah’s Zion National Park. Years ago, he carried a stinking bag through those narrow rock walls for four days.

“I think it’s actually easier than burying it,” said Jason Humphrey, one of the campers. His friend, Ben Hamilton, who’s been camping for decades, added that he didn’t know this was required in parts of Colorado.

Until one day, she imagines, packing out your poop could just be another fact of being outside.

What to do when nature calls in nature? More often, folks are being asked to pack it out

Still, the ingredients change it. To me, the most striking part of this salad is how the acids from the tomato juice, vinegar and lemon all combine. Redundancy is underrated. Adding multiple sources of acid creates a more complex flavor than would a single sour ingredient.

Serve immediately, and when the chunks are gone, save the dressing. You can use it as a marinade or a sauce for baked eggplant or zucchini. Or drink it, like the Greco Roman elixir it is.

There is an eggplant under there.

the meta-veg

3 pressed garlic cloves

Truly! Supplies, bathing, grooming,day care, boarding Esstt 2005 375-9700 • 21738 HWY 160W ¼ mile west of the Dog www.healthyhoundsandfatcats.comPark Mentions this ad when you buy 1 dog chew treat & get the 2nd HALF OFF! (Expires Sept. 30.)

2 teaspoons salt

2 lb. cucumber – I prefer it peeled and sliced into ½-inch chunks or rounds

My capricious version employs feta cheese instead of mozzarella, and adds cucumber, onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and not just basil but parsley and even thyme. So it’s truly a stretch to call this salad caprese. But when the tomato, basil and cheese find each other in your mouth and that distinct flavor combination hits, I don’t know what else we are supposed to call it.

The relatively mild-mannered cucumber’s job is to provide an aquatic stage upon which the stronger flavors can play out their drama. Those refreshing chunks serve as a peaceful counterpoint to the swirl of herbs, acids and spicy allium bulbs. The sharp and savory pizzazz of garlic and onion dance on the cheese and tomato while flavoring the acids with their spicy pungency. When I stir it together and the fragrances combine, my whole body feels hungry for this earthy, savory combination, each bite like a splashy step through a freshly watered garden.

1 large bunch parsley, leaves pulled from stalks

In a bowl, combine the onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegars, salt and olive oil. Set this dressing aside while you prep the vegetables and cheese. Add the cucumbers to a large bowl, followed by the tomatoes, parsley, basil and feta. Add the dressing and lightly toss, lifting from the bottom – we don’t want to crumble the feta, crush the tomatoes or mangle the herbs.

1 large bunch basil, leaves pulled from stalks1bunch thyme, leaves only (optional)

This time of year, it can be a challenge to name a single item of produce that isn’t ripe. The Earth has tilted squarely toward peak veg, the gazpacho days of summer when anyone can be a vegetarian with barely an effort. Even the most dedicated carnivore might find themselves satisfied at the end of a meatfree meal and not even realize it. I get that way for a salad I call Greco Roman Caprese. I realize that by going public with such a name, I might never be able to travel freely on the Island of Capri, where the iconic salad of tomato, basil and mozzarella supposedly originated. But I mean it with the utmost respect.

Aug. 25, 2022 n 11telegraph

2 lemons’ worth of juice, 8-10 tablespoons1cup olive oil

Greco Roman Caprese

Serves

4

3 lb. – or more – tomatoes (preferably a mix), cut into chunks about an inch on a side1 lb. sheep’s feta, cut into ½-inch cubes

FlashinthePanEnter

The other day, I made another batch, and the leftovers were mostly dressing, which I used to season baked eggplant. First I sliced the eggplants in half, end-toend, and cut a little bit off the bottom of each half, so they could sit flat with cut sides facing up. I placed as many of these halves as I could fit into a deep oven pan. Then, with a short knife, I scored crosshatches on each cut face, so they looked like pieces of graph paper. I topped each half with a sprinkle of salt, a spoonful of minced garlic and a pour of olive oil, and then drenched everything in the leftover Greco Roman dressing. After baking for two hours at 350, I let the eggplant cool. The next day, I shoveled my next batch of salad atop the room-temperature eggplant. And once again, I entered the meta-veg. Remember, while vegetables are the star of this salad, it’s the creamy, salty feta that pulls the whole thing together. Don’t skimp on the cheese.

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 medium onion, minced

3 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar

by Ari LeVaux

Authors in the Parklet: R.L. Sherman, 5:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Moses Guest plays, 6 p.m., Mountain Monk Café, 558 Main Ave. Bluegrouse plays, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. DJ Spark Madden, 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m., 11th Street Station.

Back to School Special: 10 Class Pass $120 through Labor Day (Regularly $140) www.pauseyogapilates.com 1305 Escalante Dr, Ste 202, Durango, CO Above Sunnyside Farms Market, in Purple Cliffs Wellness Center

Saturday27DurangoFarmers Market, 8 a.m.–12 noon, TBK Bank parking lot, live music by Bluegrouse. Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 1328 CR 501. Thirsty 13 Half Marathon, 8 a.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Kid’s Fishing Derby, 9 a.m., Durango Fish Hatchery, 151 E. 16th St. Game Day at Animas Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave. Old-fashioned games for kids, free admission.

Community Art Market, 11 a.m., Hermosa Café parking lot, 738 Main Ave. San Juan Brewfest, 1-5 p.m., Buckley Park, sanjuanbrewfest.com.

Thursday25Ride&Drive , 4-6 p.m., check out the new electric Ford Lightning 150, Durango Outdoor Exchange, 3677 Main Ave. Ska-BQ with Warsaw Poland Bros., 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Durango Green Drinks, 5 p.m., 11th Street Station. Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos. Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Devin Scott plays, 5:30 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550. The Jeff Solon Jazz Duo plays, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Patty Storen’s City Slickin’ String Band plays, 69 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203. Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Concerts in the Plaza: Lawn Chair Kings play, 6 p.m., Three Springs Plaza. Durango Blues Train, 6:30 p.m., D&SNG train depot, 479 Main Ave. More info at durangobluestrain.com Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. Spaghetti Western plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station. The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. Friday26SanJuanNature Hike, meet at Andrews Lake upper parking lot at 9 a.m., hosted by San Juan Mountains Association. Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Authors in the Parklet: Steve Moffe, 4 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. San Juan Brewfest, 5-8 p.m., Buckley Park, sanjuanbrewfest.com. McCurry Organ Trio plays, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing. Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, every Friday, 68 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 6-9 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave. Ben Gibson plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito. Reeder & Spencer play, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio. Rob Webster plays, 6 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Jitensha plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos. Durango Blues Train, 6:30 p.m., D&SNG train depot, 479 Main Ave. More info at durangobluestrain.com

Authors in the Parklet: Vicky Ramakka, 4 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Ecstatic Dance w/Planewalker, 7:30-9:30 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Authors in the Parklet: C. Marsh Bull, 5:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Art Installation Show, 6 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. Moses Guest plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito. Reeder & Spencer play, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Jack Ellis Band plays, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted. Durango Blues Train, 6:30 p.m., D&SNG train depot, 479 Main Ave. More info at durangobluestrain.com Vintage Brew plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Rob Webster plays, 1-4 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Sunday28TourDeFarms, 25-mile bike ride along CR 250 starting at 8 a.m., after party at 12 noon. More info at mannasoupkitchen.org Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Terry Rickard plays, 1-4 p.m., 11th Street Station. Open Mic, 2 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. Open Mic, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos. Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Jazz/funk/soul/jam, 6 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Flagship Romance play, 7 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. durangoconcerts.com

The Badly Bent plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203. Devin Scott plays, 6:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Comedy Show, 6:30 p.m., Olde Tymers Café, 1000 Main Ave.

Monday29Livemusic , 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Live music, 5 p.m., Office 699

Spiritorium,

12 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph noon.atMondayissubmissionsDo”to“StuffforDeadlineStufftoDo item,ansubmitTo calendar@durangotelegraph.comemail:

Main Ave.

– Trashed Mama Dear Mommy Issues, Your first problem was having kids. If you can pass them on to another, already jaded adult, do it. Step two is building your tolerance back up to pre-child levels, when you could swallow a gallon of river water (or worse, Mountain Dew) without thinking twice. So what if your brain cells weren’t capable of thinking more than once due to environmental contaminants? You were happier then.

Interesting fact: Johnny Appleseed was actually a real estate speculator: planting trees to claim land, which he later sold to tech bros at a ridiculous profit.

– Glug glug, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’m perpetually behind on life. Predominantly with voicemails and emails. The problem is, I write or call someone back, and they inevitably call or write me back, too. So knocking down my inbox is Sisyphean. I either sit at 200 emails and 20 voicemails, unanswered, in perpetuity, or I work my butt off getting it to half that size, only to wake up back where I started. How can I quit this circus and get off this merry-go-round?

– Signing off, Rachel

Open Mic, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 9 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Animas City Night Bazaar, 6 p.m., 3101 Main Ave. animascitynightbazaar.com

Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+ The Hive Indoor Skate Park, open skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org

telegraph Aug. 25, 2022 n 13

Wednesday31VolunteerTrailWork , 5-7 p.m., meet at the Animas Mountain Trailhead, 35-minute mountain bike ride to work site, tools provided. More info at durangotrails.org

Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Psych Rock Show, featuring The Veldt & Round Table 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. $5 suggested donation.

– Groundhog Dazed

The Mysto Really Big Magic Show, 7:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr. OngoingTicoTimeCountry Music Festival, Aug. 25-28, Tico Time Resort, near Aztec. ticotimeresort.com. That’s So Durango, art show thru Sept. 29. Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. durangoarts.org. Free Durango Transit, all of August, part of the statewide Zero Fare for Better Air initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Meditation & Dharma Talk w/Matthew Brensilver, 5:30 p.m., Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109. Forrest McCurren plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos. Comedy Open Mic, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Email questions to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Tuesday30TwinButtesFarm Stand, every Tuesday, 3-5:30 p.m., 165 Tipple Ave. Matt Rupnow plays, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave.

AskRachelVegging out, poisoning young minds & seedy thoughts

Dear Stuck on Loop, Don’t like the rules? Change the game. Cancel your email address, and throw your phone in the river (without thinking of the pollutant factor). Give up your earthly possessions, except for like a fanny pack or an Osprey bag you can stuff with seeds. Take to wandering the streets and planting seeds. If you don’t starve the first year, you’ll have all the food you could ever eat, growing for free on city land. (Again, just don’t think of the pollutant factor.)

Dear Rachel, A victory garden is doing well across the street from Mountain Auto on E. 8th Ave. Who would have thought to put a garden on city property? They have made a high-rise victory garden on the dirt between the street and sidewalk. What a great idea and no weeds as you see around the corner. Hey, this might be your calling to locate new locations in the city. I know you will love it, as it is good for Mother Earth and veggies for all. Are you going to make a planter and plant for this fall or next spring? Oh, it may be illegal? Your thoughts? – String Bean Dear Thread Legume, My calling? How is this MY calling? The gods of fecundity and abundance placed this victory garden idea in YOUR path, not mine. YOU should start walking around like a regular Johnny Appleseed (or Stringy Squashseed, or whatever you feel like sticking in the ground around town). I, for one, can’t wait to eat for free from the cracks in the sidewalk. A whole new kind of crack whore. – Gobble up, Rachel Dear Rachel, My kid started asking me questions about pollutants. Oil on the streets, dog poop on the trails, and where does it all go? Well, basically into the ground and into the river, I said. Then where? And where after that? I had no good answer, and it finally dawned on me, at way too late an age, that it goes nowhere. Ignorance certainly is bliss, and now knowledge is agony. How can I go back to living without worrying over what I’m breathing and drinking every moment of the day?

Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. San Juan Mountain Jam, 5:30 p.m., River Bend Ranch, 27846 Highway 550. Hosted by San Juan Mountains Association. Leah Orlikowski plays, 6 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 Highway 550.

Word Honey Poetry, 6 p.m., 81301 Coffee House & Roasters, 3101 Main Ave. Leah Orlikowski plays, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Paint & Sip Night, 6:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Overdose Awareness Memorial Walk & Vigil, 7 p.m., Buckley Park.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “My own curiosity and interest are insatiable,” wrote Cancerian author Emma Lazarus (1849–87). Inspired by the wealth of influences she absorbed, she created an array of poetry, plays, novels, essays and translations – including the famous poem that graces the pedestal of America’s Statue of Liberty. I recommend her as a role model for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. I think you’re ripe for an expansion and deepening of your curiosity. You will benefit from cultivating an enthusiastic quest for new information and fresh influences. Here’s a mantra for you: “I am wildly innocent as I vivify my soul’s education.”

Over the years, though, O’Hara underwent a marvelous transformation. This is how his poem ends: “And here I am, the center of all beauty! Writing these poems! Imagine!” In the coming months, Aries, I suspect that you, too, will have the potency to outgrow and transcend a sadness or awkwardness from your own past. The shadow of an old source of suffering may not disappear completely, but I bet it will lose much of its power to diminish you.

According to my reading of the astrological omens, Taurus, you are primed to do just that in the coming days. You have the power to discern the sacred in the midst of mundane events. The magic and mystery of life will shine from every little thing you encounter. So I will love it if you deliver the following message to a person you care for: “Now I see that the beauty I had not been able to find in the world is in you.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As a Scorpio, novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky was rarely guilty of oversimplification. Like any intelligent person, he could hold contradictory ideas in his mind without feeling compelled to seek more superficial truths. He wrote, “The causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them.” I hope you will draw inspiration from his example in the coming weeks, dear Scorpio. I trust you will resist the temptation to reduce colorful mysteries to straightforward explanations. There will always be at least three sides to every story. I invite you to relish glorious paradoxes and fertile enigmas.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Blogger Scott Williams writes, “There are two kinds of magic. One comes from the heroic leap, the upward surge of energy, the explosive arc that burns bright across the sky. The other kind is the slow accretion of effort: the water-on-stone method, the soft root of the plant that splits the sidewalk, the constant wind that scours the mountain clean.” Can you guess which type of magic will be your specialty in the coming weeks, Leo? It will be the laborious, slow accretion of effort. And that is precisely what will work best for the tasks that are most important for you to accomplish.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In her book “Tales From Earthsea,” Libra-born Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “What goes too long unchanged destroys itself. The forest is forever, because it dies and dies and so lives.” I trust you’re embodying those truths right now. You’re in a phase of your cycle when you can’t afford to remain unchanged. You need to enthusiastically and purposefully engage in dissolutions that will prepare the way for your rebirth in the weeks after your birthday. The process might sometimes feel strenuous, but it should ultimately be great fun.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time,” said philosopher Bertrand Russell. I will add that the time you enjoy wasting is often essential to your wellbeing. For the sake of your sanity and health, you periodically need to temporarily shed your ambitions and avoid as many of your responsibilities as you safely can. During these interludes of refreshing emptiness, you recharge your precious life energy. You become like a fallow field allowing fertile nutrients to regenerate. In my astrological opinion, now is one of these revitalizing phases for you.

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): In his poem “Autobiographia Literaria,” Aries-born Frank O’Hara wrote, “When I was a child, I played in a corner of the schoolyard all alone. If anyone was looking for me, I hid behind a tree and cried out, ‘I am an orphan.’”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): To be the best Aquarius you can be in the coming weeks, I suggest the following: 1. Zig when others zag. Zag when others zig. 2. Play with the fantasy that you’re an extraterrestrial who’s engaged in an experiment on planet Earth. 3. Be a hopeful cynic and a cheerful skeptic. 4. Do things that inspire people to tell you, “Just when I thought I had you figured out, you do something unexpected to confound me.” 5. Just for fun, walk backward every now and then. 6. Fall in love with everything and everyone: a D-List celebrity, an oak tree, a neon sign, a feral cat.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A blogger who calls herself HellFresh writes, “Open and raw communication with your partners and allies may be uncomfortable and feel awkward and vulnerable, but it solves so many problems that can’t be solved any other way.” Having spent years studying the demanding arts of intimate relationship, I agree with her. She adds, “The idea that was sold to us is, ‘Love is effortless, and you should communicate telepathically with your partner.’ That’s false.” I propose, Pisces, that you fortify yourself with these truths as you enter the Reinvent Your Relationships Phase of your astrological cycle. you,go,nggestsforrs. eher.)can’t fanilowsourourbiggThankDuranforbeibiggestfor20years. e know(WWe w,, we believe it either

14 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Now that I’m free to be myself, who am I?” Virgo-born Mary Oliver asks that question to start one of her poems. She spends the rest of the poem speculating on possible answers. At the end, she concludes she mostly longs to be an “empty, waiting, pure, speechless receptacle.” Such a state of being might work well for a poet with lots of time on her hands, but I don’t recommend it for you in the coming weeks. Instead, I hope you’ll be profuse, active, busy, experimental and expressive. That’s the best way to celebrate the fact that you are now freer to be yourself than you have been in a while.

FreeWillAstrology

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Author Zadie Smith praised Sagittarian writer Joan Didion. She says, “I remain grateful for the day I picked up Joan Didion’s ‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem’ and realized that a woman could speak without hedging her bets, without hemming and hawing, without making nice, without sounding pleasant or sweet, without deference, and even without doubt.” I encourage Sagittarians of every gender to be inspired by Didion in the coming weeks. It’s a favorable time to claim more of the authority you have earned. Speak your kaleidoscopic wisdom without apology or dilution. More fiercely than ever before, embody your high ideals and show how well they work in the rhythms of daily life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In his poem “Auguries of Innocence,” William Blake (1757–1827) championed the ability “to see a World in a Grain of Sand. And a Heaven in a Wild Flower. Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn novelist Marcia Douglas writes books about the history of her people in Jamaica. In one passage, she writes, “My grandmother used to tell stories about women that change into birds and lizards. One day, a church-going man dared to laugh at her; he said it was too much for him to swallow. My grandmother looked at him and said, ‘I bet you believe Jesus turned water into wine.’” My purpose in telling you this, Capricorn, is to encourage you to nurture and celebrate your own fantastic tales. Life isn’t all about reasonableness and pragmatism. You need myth and magic to thrive. You require the gifts of imagination and art and lyrical flights of fancy. This is especially true now. To paraphrase David Byrne, now is a perfect time to refrain from making too much sense.

ForSaleGordon Smith Longboard A classic – sweet, smooth ride for cushy cruising. A few years old but still in great shape. 42” long. $50 Text: 970-7492595. Vassago Jabberwocky Singlespeed 17” steel frame, black, hardtail, front Fox 32” fork. Set up for tubeless, decent rubber. Super fun, light and zippy bike –great for in-town rides, Phil’s or more … $750 Text: 970-749-2595. GoPro Camera Hero 5. A few years old but only used once or twice and otherwise just sat in a drawer. It is deserving of a more exciting owner! $150 OBO. Text 970-749-2595

Bayfield Pine River Library, 50% off. Sale thru Sept. Personal tours – 970-563-1042. Donald I get the lower bunk, you get the upper bunk at Rikers Penitentiary. Your CFO, Weisselberg.

Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals,

Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal dropoff.

telegraph Aug. 25, 2022 n 15

and art … Come in

Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including Martinsville mid-century nightstands and coffee table, cool vintage Penco lockers, desk, chairs, bistro sets, lots of other cool furnishings today! 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336. Metal 970-259-3494. 970-903-0449 970-403-6192. Prices on Storage! Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20,

AnnouncementsNadya/TronArt Sale

Wanted CashforVehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ

ServicesRSE Handyman Service Home repair - yard work - odd jobs

Lost/FoundMissing Keys On ring. Lost on 7th Ave. & 3rd St. either Friday or Saturday. If found call, 970759-9287.

Open Mon.-Sat.

Lowest

$130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494. BodyWorkMassage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199. Lotus HealingPathArts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule, call Kathryn, 970-201-3373. Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.) Ads can be submitted via: n www.durangotelegraph.com n telegraph.comclassifieds@durango n 970-259-0133 n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon: 9ish - 5ish Tues: 9ish - 5ish Wed: 9ish - 3ish Thurs: On delivery Fri: Gone fishing; call first HaikuMovieReview'TheLostCity' Cute adventure with Sandra B., Channing T., oh and also Brad P. – Lainie Maxson classifieds TeleFlashBack2002

16 n Aug. 25, 2022 telegraph ARTNERED PROHIBITIONH HASP DWITH HERB A FOR A EBSFOIR WUT OVISI TPSELECTDURANGOCTUDORPPHETFNOIORTOA FUNDRA AAILS!ER DO IONHERB.COTPROHIBIET T!ROFIN-PS NORAIL HT TBENEFITOOILL GTS W ALHE SM TFROROCEEDST AISER! HEM FLE O